


It's Just Tinder

by Luv_Haze



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: And still super hot, Billy does yoga, Bisexual Steve Harrington, Fluff, Gay Billy Hargrove, Harringrove, Idiots in Love, M/M, Set in LA, Steve Harrington is a Sweetheart, Tinder, not an au but in 2013, they are in their 40s
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-20
Updated: 2018-07-29
Packaged: 2019-06-13 06:42:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15358539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luv_Haze/pseuds/Luv_Haze
Summary: At the encouragement of his twenty-year-old daughter and Dustin, Steve joins Tinder to finally get back into the dating saddle again after he's been happily single for twelve years.  Without telling anyone, he selects that he's seeking men because he's finally ready to explore his bi-curiosity at the age of 47.  And it's just his luck that the first time he uses Tinder he sees Billy Hargrove's profile and is reminded that his crush on Billy in high school was what started this whole "I might like guys too" thing.  Only question is, should he swipe yes and see where it goes or just delete Tinder and pretend like he never saw those beautiful blue eyes full of happiness staring back at him on his phone?Steve swipes right.  And hopes for the best.(Rating will go up in later chapters- not an AU, they are just older because it's 2013)





	1. Swipe Right

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! I recently binge watched Stranger Things and immediately started brainstorming some fic ideas. I love writing fanfiction and am delighted to join the Harringrove ship! In this fic, Billy and Steve are aged properly for how old they'd be in 2013, which means they are 46 and 47 respectively and they've both aged really, really well. It starts from Steve's POV and will probably flip to Billy next chapter. Not sure how long it'll be, a few chapters probably as I have some fun ideas of where this will go. 
> 
> Also, I don't use Tinder so I apologize if I got any details wrong. :)

Steve stared at the image on his phone.  Fuck, was that Billy?  Billy Hargrove, the punk ass kid from California that had beaten the shit out of him in high school.  It couldn’t be him.  Could it?  Steve’s shaking finger hovered over the screen of his iPhone, careful not to swipe before he had figured out what the hell was going on.

Because it _looked_ like Tinder had pulled up Billy Hargrove as one of Steve’s choices as a possible date. 

The profile even said _Billy, Age 46._ He remembered that Hargrove was a year younger than him and since he was 47 now that meant Billy would be 46 or so.

Oh fuck _and_ Billy was originally from LA and he’d heard he’d moved back after high school.

And Steve was currently in LA. 

Steve put his phone down on his coffee table and stood up to shake his hands out.  He took several deep breaths before picking the phone up again.  Billy’s face—albeit much older than the last time he’d seen him—was staring back at him with a brilliant smile and what looked like actual joy emanating from him.

His hair was short, still had a nice wave to it though and damn was he even hotter now than in high school?  He’d certainly aged well.  Like really well. 

Steve rubbed his hand over his mouth and went to swipe yes.  His finger almost grazed the screen before he pulled back.  What was he doing?  He had to think about this for a minute, he couldn’t just swipe right on Billy fucking Hargrove after nearly thirty fucking years when this was his first time exploring his attraction to guys.

Steve put the phone down again, careful to leave the app open on Billy’s profile and thought about calling Dustin.  Maybe his best friend could knock some sense into him, although, truth be told, joining Tinder _had_ been Dustin’s idea in the first place.

Well, not joining _gay_ Tinder, because no one knew about that, especially since Steve was divorced and just had lunch with his twenty-year-old daughter, Rachel, who was a sophomore at UCLA. 

If he called Dustin, he’d have no way of explaining how Billy had appeared in his Tinder feed without also explaining, _oh hey, yeah, I selected that I was seeking males, you know, cause I’ve always wondered if I’m attracted to guys or not and thought, hey, I’m single and almost fifty so why not, better late than never right?_

He certainly didn’t want to hear Dustin screaming over the phone (he’d never outgrown that) nor have to explain why Billy was also on Tinder since he didn’t know.  But he did know, right? That was the point of Tinder. 

Steve picked up his phone again.  Billy was on gay Tinder, which meant he was single (probably, hopefully, god don’t let him be _that_ kind of prick) and it also meant that Billy liked guys enough to be on a dating app to meet them.

Steve put the phone down—again—and sat down, burying his face in his hands.  “What am I doing?”

No one answered him.  He was shacked up in a nice, furnished one-bedroom apartment in Los Angeles supplied by his company for a six month assignment in the California office, which he’d requested to be near his daughter. 

Steve picked up the phone and called Rachel.  When it went to voicemail, he texted her asking if he was crazy for swiping right on someone he’d been to high school with and hadn’t seen in decades.  She’d been the one to download the app onto his phone over lunch, saying that three dates in the twelve years he’d been single didn’t count as a love life and it was time for him to get back out there and find someone.  That and she assured him that _everyone_ was on Tinder.  It was 2013 after all. 

Yeah, everyone was on Tinder apparently, even Billy Hargrove.

_Swipe YES Dad!_

_In class._

_Love you_ ❤

Steve debated explaining the details to her, but she didn’t need to know he was talking about a boy…man.  Clearly Billy was a man now.  God, he looked really good.  Like Steve had aged pretty well himself and was in great shape, but damn, Billy still looked like a sex god, a _happy_ sex god.

Steve texted Dustin, _I’m on Tinder._

The little bubble immediately appeared as his friend typed something back.  Then it disappeared and reappeared before Dustin’s replies came flooding through at rapid speed.

_Hell yeah Steve!  About time._

_Send me pics of your matches._

_Can’t wait to see all the pretty California ladies!_

_Don’t send bikini pics._

_My wife will kill me._

_Good luck!!_

Then four thumbs up emoticons appeared. 

Steve shook his head.  “Super helpful,” he muttered to himself before going back to Billy’s profile. 

He had been attracted to Billy in high school.  In fact, Billy was _the_ guy that made Steve realize he might be bisexual or at the very least bi-curious.  There had been a few guys over the years that Steve had seen that made him do double takes and swallow hard enough to feel it in his pants, but it wasn’t like he was always looking at guys, certain ones just sorta popped out at him and held his attention like a deer in headlights.  He’d only ever kissed one guy during a drunken game of Truth or Dare in college, but everyone had kissed everyone that night and it definitely wasn’t hot or sexy or anything Steve counted as actual experimenting.

More like a bad party choice.

Steve didn’t know how Tinder even worked.  If he swiped yes on Billy did that immediately send his profile to the other person or had the other person already see his profile?  Fuck.  Steve’s stomach started to hurt.  What if Billy had already seen his profile and swiped yes or no? He’d only had a profile for a few hours but this was the first time he’d sat down to actually browse through it.  Certainly Billy hadn’t seen his profile already, I mean, he just got on the damn thing.

He shot Rachel another text asking how it worked.

She replied, _just swipe yes if you like her, if she recognizes you she’ll probably swipe right too._

_Don’t worry so much, it’s supposed to be fun!_

Fun? So far this was anything but fun.  Steve was a wreck.  He only agreed to even try Tinder because he was in LA and figured he _wouldn’t_ know anyone, that it was a safe place to explore his curiosity without having to truly commit to anything.  He was ready to date again, but he just wasn’t sure if he wanted a woman and he definitely wasn’t sure if he was even going to meet any of the guys he matched with.  He was just browsing really, sticking his toe into the water before possibly chickening out and giving _straight_ Tinder a go.

He’d been in love with Nancy in high school, that first sort of pure love that stays with you even after you’ve moved on to love other people.  Then he’d married his college sweetheart, Heather.  Things were fine until they just grew apart.  Their marriage counselor assured them that that was normal for lots of couples and didn’t mean they’d failed or done anything wrong.  They’d amicably gotten divorced when Rachel was eight and been great friends and co-parents for years.  Steve had even gone to Heather’s wedding when she married her second husband, Jason, and bought them a three hundred dollar espresso machine from their gift registry.

Fuck it.  Steve had spent his whole life playing it safe, devoting his time and attention to Rachel to make sure she got the one thing he never got—an emotionally available dad—and furthering his career to the point where he was at now and could relax and enjoy the rest of his life, he wasn’t about to play it safe anymore. 

What did he have to lose? It’s not like Billy was standing in the room with him, judging him.  No, Billy was probably just sitting at home on his sofa, drinking a beer and wondering if the guy he was looking at was really Steve Harrington.  The hair would give him away.  And his name and age.  But whatever.  Rachel had chosen the best picture of him for his profile so at the very least, Steve knew he looked good.

Steve pressed the pad of his finger on Billy’s picture and held it there while he took a deep breath.

And then he swiped right.

The screen changed, boldly declaring:

_It’s a Match!_

_You and Billy have liked each other!_

Holy shit.  Steve’s hands started shaking even harder so he put the phone down and smiled.

And then ran to the bathroom, you know, just in case he threw up from the nerves.

 

 

 


	2. Yoga & Spinach Enchiladas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy and Steve meet up and well... you'll just have to read to see how Billy is these days. :)

When Steve returned from the bathroom, grateful he hadn’t tossed his stomach after all, he saw that Billy had messaged him on Tinder. 

_Harrington! Let’s catch up._

And then his phone number.

Steve was excited for about ten seconds before he frowned.  “Let’s catch up? What the fuck.”

He debated typing back _okay_ but decided against it since both Dustin and Rachel repeatedly told him that he could just type _ok_ and didn’t need to spell it out all the time and felt kinda self-conscious about it.

Instead, he opened a new contact and added his number.  When he went to text him it showed that Billy was also on iMessage.  Great, now he could wonder about Billy’s bubbles when he was typing.  Super swell.

He typed out a few standard greetings then deleted them.  Billy didn’t have his number yet so this was Steve’s one chance to write and delete and re-write to his heart’s content.

 _Hey, it’s Steve_ was erased.

 _I’m in town, let’s catch up_ was deleted too.  He couldn’t just repeat what Billy said, like a noob.  Rachel told him noob wasn’t a word anymore either, but whatever. 

Steve hated this, dating in the technology age.  Not that he’d really tried, but in the ten minutes he’d been at it, it already sucked.  What happened to chemistry, flirting and touching?  He was good at those things, text flirting was not his strong suit.

Steve finally hit send on the spectacular _Billy, it’s Steve.  This is my number._

He was pretty sure he’d failed at making an impression over text, but he was such a mess already that he really needed Billy to take the lead on this.  I mean, they had matched for a date, right?  They might actually hook up, like meet then make out, maybe do something more…sexual.   

Steve took his phone to the bathroom with him this time.

And this time, he actually threw up.

 

~*~

 

A mere few hours later, Steve walked into a yoga studio and approached the desk.  A pretty blonde girl welcomed him and asked if he was there for the class.

“Uh, yeah, I’m meeting Billy…Hargrove.  He said something about taking a class,” Steve said, totally unsure as to why they were meeting at a yoga studio.  Didn’t Tinder involve drinks in low lights where you’d numb your fears before heading home with your chosen date to hook up? 

“Oh yes! He took care of everything for you.  If you’d like, I can show you where you can get ready and then he’ll meet you in class. He’ll have your mat and towel and bring you a bottle of water.”

Steve nodded, hating that he was about to wobble and fall over in front of Billy as his first impression as a fully functioning adult while Billy got to be the hero and bring him water and equipment.

Maybe Billy was new too.  And wobbled.  And fell over and looked utterly ridiculous in downward dog.  Steve had no idea what downward dog actually looked like, it was just the only yoga term he knew.

“Um, is the class hard?” Steve asked the girl.  “I’ve never done yoga before.”

She smiled as she led him down a long hall to a door with a cartoon picture of a man doing a complicated yoga pose on it.  “It’s a beginner’s class, you’ll be fine.  Just remember not to push yourself too hard with any of the poses, everyone starts off a little nervous and stiff so it’s great to stretch first.”

“Great, thanks,” Steve said as she walked away but what he really meant was _I shouldn’t be here but thank you for believing in me_.

“Harrington!” Billy’s voice rang out from behind him and Steve steeled himself for a moment before turning around.

When their eyes met, Steve’s breath got stuck in his chest.  Holy shit, Billy was shirtless and ripped and tan and beautiful and like the hottest guy he’d ever seen and he was smiling and approaching him with his arms out.

“Fuck, I knew it was you, the hair gave it away,” Billy said as Steve found himself pulled into a hug.  Like a really deep, _it’s been so long, I’ve missed you_ hug.

“Ah, yeah, uh…my hair…hasn’t changed,” Steve stammered out.  Brilliant.  Off to a great start.

Billy stepped back and assessed him, openly letting his eyes drag down Steve’s body then back up again with the same glorious smile plastered on his face.  Happy Billy was freakishly unnerving.  Hot bodied, low slung, hip hugging black shorts on Billy _and nothing else_ was a mind melter.  Steve felt like his choice of athletic shorts and a company t-shirt fell so short he might as well be in his pajamas.

“I hope you don’t mind that I asked you to meet me here, I just wanted to see you right away to catch up and I committed to do this tonight, but we can head out for dinner afterwards or something if you like,” Billy said.

“Yeah, sure,” Steve said with a shrug that he hoped came across as _I’m free, I have no life, let’s hang out_.

Billy bit his lower lip and hummed.  “Damn Harrington, you look exactly the same.  It’s amazing.”

“Uh, yeah, genetics.  You look…amazing too.  Wow.  Is that a tattoo?” Steve’s mouth was starting to formulate real words, pretty soon he’d be up to compound sentences if he was lucky.

Billy glanced down at the all black patterned tattoo that wrapped around his calf.  “Yeah, one of them. This one is a mandala.” He smiled. 

“Great,” Steve said and then realized how dumb that sounded.  “I don’t have any…tattoos.”  He also didn’t know what a mandala symbolized, he knew what they were, kinda, but he’d have to look it up later, you know, to be less informed than he already was about such things.

Billy chuckled.  “It’s so good to see you, man.  Hey, let’s go inside though, I want to make sure I get you set up before class starts. You mentioned in your text that you’ve never done yoga before so don’t worry, this is the best class for you.  I’ll take it easy on you.”

“Easy? Wait, are you the teacher?” Steve paled.

Billy flashed his eyebrows at him.  “I am.  Now drop your socks and shoes off and get your butt on that mat and start stretching.”  He pointed to a free mat near the front of the studio.  “I’m going to grab you a towel and some water.” 

So much for seeing Billy wobble.  Steve made his way to the mat and glanced around at the others who were in various positions of stretching.  He started with the stretches he used before working out in the gym twice a week, sometimes once, whatever, he was still active enough, and reached his arms over his head.

When Billy came back into the yoga room, one of the girls in the class popped off her mat and crowded him.  Steve watched her flirt and secretly preened that Billy was being nice, but clearly not interested.  He wasn’t sure if Billy was gay or bi, but at least he wasn’t into really hot twenty something year old girls with perfect bodies so that was a plus.

Billy excused himself from her and made his way to Steve, setting the bottle of water and towel down  near the edge of his mat.  “Hey, tilt your shoulder this way,” Billy said, resting his on hand Steve’s shoulder blade to gently adjust him.  God, it felt really nice to be touched.

“I’m just letting you know, I’m going to suck at this,” Steve said, super comfortable with self-depreciating admittance, it seemed to always calm his nerves to get it out in the open.

“Yeah well, if you were great at it then I wouldn’t have a reason to touch you so feel free to suck as much as you want.”  Billy winked.

Now _this_ was the type of flirting that Steve understood!  Banter, touching, smiling.  Okay, he could do this.  Like, he _knew_ how to do this.  Steve suddenly liked Tinder a whole lot more and maybe dating in the technology age was actually easier.  Huh.  Cool.

The class itself was hard.  Steve was sweating by the end of it and it wasn’t even hot yoga.  He’d asked the girl near him if it was and he could tell she held back from rolling her eyes at his stupidity.  Billy had touched him several times, his hips once to align his posture.  His hand and elbow another time.  The one that really got to him was when he felt Billy’s hand on the back of his lower thigh.

Overall, Steve would say his first try at yoga was mediocre at best, but really fun because it was a full hour of hardbody-Hargrove eye candy and flirtatious touches that had him ready for whatever guys did with each other when they got naked. 

 They drove separately to a nearby restaurant after changing into regular clothes and grabbed a booth.  When Steve ordered a beer, Billy ordered ice water with lemon. 

“You’re not drinking?”

Billy shook his head without looking up from the menu.  “I quit years ago.”

“Oh.”  Steve glanced down at his menu and struggled to understand all the trendy Californian descriptions of what he hoped was regular food.  “I just want a hamburger or something.”

“Yeah, they have those…” Billy said, snapping his menu shut.  “I’m getting the spinach and kale enchiladas.”

“Wow.” Steve was impressed.  “You’re like, all healthy and shit. I mean, it looks good on you.  But cool.”

“I’m a vegan.”

Steve felt his forehead crinkle.  “Really?”

“Yeah, six years.  I was a vegetarian for a long time, couldn’t get off cheese, but then they started making better vegan cheese so I made the jump.  I’ve never felt better.”

“Oh, cool.”  Steve didn’t know what to say.  He _loved_ cheese so he understood that part, but what did Billy eat?  “I, uh, love cheese.”

Billy chuckled.  “Yeah, man, who doesn’t? It’s the best.”

Steve put his menu down when the server came by and Billy actually ordered for him.  It was cute and weird.  He’d never had another man order for him except maybe his dad when he was a kid.

“So, Tinder, huh?” Steve said, broaching the topic burning through his mind.

Billy’s smile faded.  “Yeah, Tinder.  I was surprised to see you on there.  I figured it was an accident and you got the settings wrong.”

Steve’s face got hot.  “What? No, I…I chose to search for…you know, guys.”

Billy nodded as if he was taking in the information.  “Oh, cool.  So you’re out then?”

“Out? No, I mean, I’m new to this.  You’re the first guy I’ve actually met like this…ever.”

“Oh,” Billy said suddenly.  But he didn’t smile or seemed pleased. 

Steve felt tension welling up in his body.  “Uh, are you out?”

“Yeah, for years,” Billy said then smiled at the server when she dropped off the water and beer.  He got his straw out of the wrapper then put it in his water and started drinking from it, all without meeting Steve’s eyes.

The air had shifted between them and Steve wondered what might have changed.  He tapped his fingers on the table a few times and tried to start the conversation again.  “Have you always been…you know?”

“Gay? Steve, you can just say gay.  It’s 2013 in Los Angeles, it’s not 1985 in the fucking Midwest.” That blunt spark of anger in Billy hadn’t gone away with time after all.  He seemed mad.

“Oh, sorry.  I’m just really nervous,” Steve said, fiddling with the discarded wrapper from Billy’s straw.  “You’re literally the first person I’ve ever come out to about liking guys.”

Billy looked stricken at that.  His shoulders relaxed and he sighed.  “Shit, Steve.  I’m sorry.  I just get all tense whenever I think about Hawkins, you know.  It was really hard for me there and you remind me of it because, well, that’s where we know each other from, but this must be a big deal for you so tell me, tell me about what you’ve been keeping inside all these years.”

“Hey, I totally get it, about Hawkins and all.  Um, well, I was never sure, about me I mean, so I got married, had a kid, you know, all the stuff people do.  It was fine, nothing to complain about, but I’ve always been curious though.  About guys.  Never done anything about it though…until now.”

“Curious about guys, wow Harrington, you sound so hip,” Billy said with a smile. 

“I’m serious, I’ve always wondered, just never…had the opportunity,” Steve said, looking down shyly like Nancy used to do when she played innocent.  It drove him crazy (in a good way) and he hoped it drove Billy crazy too. 

“You still married?” Billy asked.

“No, no.  Divorced.  Twelve years.  Happily divorced actually, we’re friends,” Steve said. 

Billy nodded again.

“So, you teach yoga?” He asked.

“Sometimes,” Billy said, but didn’t elaborate.  “I was filling in for someone tonight, not my usual thing.”

“What else do you do?” Steve asked, sipping at his beer bottle.

Billy looked away.  “I own a business.  Hey, why are you in LA? Did you move here?”

“Work, but mostly my daughter, Rachel, she goes to UCLA.  Here, let me show you a picture.”  Steve pulled up a picture of her on his phone and handed it to Billy.  “I’m here for six months.”

“She’s cute. Doesn’t have your hair at all though.” Billy handed the phone back.  “Good kid?”

“Yeah, she’s the best.  She’s a sophomore now and I missed her like crazy last year so when I saw an open contract for LA I grabbed it.  I basically train executives, but I’m more of a consultant.  It’s cool, I like it. What kind of business do you have?” Steve asked but he immediately saw Billy’s face tighten.  Shit, maybe he was embarrassed about it or something, maybe he shouldn’t have asked. 

“You don’t know?” Billy asked, narrowing his eyes.

“Um, no, should I?” Steve thought this was an odd turn to the conversation.

Billy leaned forward, putting both elbows on the table.  Steve leaned forward too, assuming it was going to be whispered in secret.  Shit, what if Billy was in porn or something?  Not that he wouldn’t want to see it but…

“It’s a fitness type business,” he said then leaned back.

Steve nodded slowly but really had no idea what the hell that meant but he did know it was time to drop it.  Words like _sex fitness_ flew threw Steve’s mind but he pushed them aside and cleared his throat.

“Cool.  Well, you definitely have the body for fitness…business,” Steve said, raising his beer toward Billy.

Aside from his inability to speak correctly, Steve thought he was doing pretty well for his first date with a guy.  It might have helped that he already knew Billy, but maybe not, they weren’t exactly friends back in the day.  But it seemed Billy had really blossomed into the best version of himself and Steve, well, he was the same…shit.  Suddenly, Steve felt _really_ inadequate.

He shifted in his seat and tipped his beer back, drinking half of it in one go.  He still had his mouth on the rim when the server put his hamburger in front of him and asked if he wanted another bottle.  Steve said yes and then kicked himself once she walked away, maybe he shouldn’t have ordered another one if Billy wasn’t drinking.  He’d just have to nurse it then switch to something else.  It wouldn’t do for him to get tipsy while Billy was getting healthy on his super green burrito or whatever the fuck it was.

The lull in their conversation was welcomed and feared.  Billy was busy cutting up his enchilada (not a burrito) and arranging the sauces it came with, but hadn’t looked up at him in a while.

Steve felt like something massive had shifted from the flirty touches during yoga till now, Billy seemed more into his glass of water and salad filled tortilla than he was into Steve.

“We should hang out again,” Billy said out of nowhere as he finished chewing his first bite and finally made eye contact again. 

Steve perked up, still a bit confused from the mixed signals though.  “Sure, yeah.  I’m here for months, this is only my second week and Rachel is the only person I know out here so, that’d be great.”

“Cool,” Billy said, this time chewing a bit as he spoke.  It was cute.  He wiped his mouth with his napkin.  “What about tomorrow night?  I get done with work around four thirty and we can meet up…oh wait, where are you staying?  Friday night traffic in LA can be a nightmare.”

Steve grinned.  “I thought that was just LA traffic all the time.”

They small chatted the rest of dinner and figured out that they lived relatively close to each other by LA standards so that was convenient.  Steve grabbed the bill when it came but hesitated on pulling out his money clip when he saw Billy’s jaw clench.

“I can get this,” Steve said and the jaw clenched even more.  “I’d like to.”

“I was going to get it,” Billy said, the irritation in his voice threatening Steve’s delicate nature.

Steve slowly put the slip of paper back on the table between them, unsure how to proceed.  Who paid in these situations? 

Billy snatched it up with a huff and reached for his wallet, sliding out a black credit card.  Steve noticed the thick layer of cash and looked away, almost as if he shouldn’t know how much money Billy did or didn’t have.  Was this what girls felt like on dates? 

He also noticed that Billy left a 25% tip when he signed the receipt. 

Steve smiled when Billy met his eyes.  “Thank you for dinner,” he said, wondering if he was expected to put out now.  I mean, he was totally going to put out, but it did feel a bit strange to receive dinner from a guy he was on a date with and not split it. These were the sort of things Steve had no idea about since he’d been the provider his whole adult life.  And practically dateless for over twenty years.

When they got outside (Steve had rushed ahead to hold the door for Billy, score one for that!) they lingered in the parking lot while Billy checked his phone. 

When Billy pocketed his phone, Steve stepped forward and smiled.  “So…this was fun,” he said softly.

Billy nodded.  “Uh, yeah, it was fun.”

Steve tried to read the energy between them but it was still mixed.  He searched Billy’s face for the next move but found a blank wall and the light that had been in his eyes earlier was eerily absent.

And then the absolute worst thing in the world happened.  Billy stuck his hand out between them in offer of a handshake.

Steve looked down at the extended hand and just stared at it.  He probably hesitated much too long because the hand started to retract.  Fuck.  Fuck, fuck, fuckity, fuck.  Steve’s hand shot out to grab it.  He shook it like a normal person would as he silently died on the inside and put on his best fake smile. 

“Thanks again…for dinner.”  The level of awkwardness was so high Steve was sure he’d have to call his doctor in the morning for an emergency anxiety prescription.    

Their hands dropped and Billy immediately stuck both his hands in the pockets of his jeans.  “Yeah sure, no problem.  You’re new to town, it’s my welcome to LA gift.”

Oh, wow, a welcome dinner, not a date.  Steve slightly nodded, hiding his disappointment behind years of practiced muscle memory around his eyes and mouth that conveyed that _everything is fine, really_.

“I’ve got an early morning so I’ll see you tomorrow night,” Billy said, his feet moving him away from where they stood.

“Yep!  See you tomorrow!” Steve waved as Billy offered a weak smile and then turned to walk away.

Steve walked back to his car and waited until he was three blocks away before looking in the rear view mirror at himself.  He hoped his eyes hadn’t looked like this in front of Billy, the kicked puppy look wasn’t exactly awesome.  He rubbed his face then slammed his hand on his steering wheel at the first red light.  Fuck.

 

~*~

Billy waited until he got home before having a breakdown.  Somehow, he’d managed to get through dinner, that crazy awkward handshake and even driving home without letting his emotions out. 

“Fuck!” Billy yelled into his living room.  He picked up a glass paperweight he’d received as a housewarming gift from one of his employees and pulled his arm back, ready to throw it at the wall but then he stopped.  He’d spent years reigning in his rage and then the very first time pretty boy Harrington flashes that ridiculously soul melting smile at him, Billy is reduced to his seventeen-year-old self again.

Taking several deep breaths, Billy closed his eyes and calmed himself in the practiced way he’d learned in his early thirties.  He put the paperweight down and reminded himself to donate it.  What the fuck did he need a paperweight for anyway? 

Steve.  Steve.  Steve.  Fuck.  Steve Harrington was the _one_ _person_ Billy had always wanted to be gay, but had accepted it a thousand times that he wasn’t and now he was in LA, on Tinder, exploring his goddamn curiosity about guys.  It was Billy’s dream come true.

It was also his worst nightmare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dustin and Steve chat on the phone in the next chapter. So hooray for that awesomeness XD  
> And more Billy and Steve of course.


	3. Dustin & Kyle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter went waaaaay differently than I anticipated, but I let Billy's voice direct the flow and well, he's so much weaker for Steve than even I anticipated so, enjoy! There's plenty more to come. (If you only see like a few paragraphs, hit refresh, the first time I posted it, it cut off most of the chapter but it's fixed now).

_Meet anyone yet?_ Dustin’s text was waiting for him when he woke up the next morning.  The time zone difference made it seem like his friend was on the ball, but really, he was just a few hours in the future on East Coast time.

And Rachel had texted him at 12:45am.  _Did you swipe right on your high school friend?_

Steve groaned.  Yes, he had fucking swiped right.  What a disaster.

No text from Billy, but what did he expect.  Sitting up in bed, Steve put his phone down and sighed.  Maybe he could work from bed today, nurse his rejection.  He felt his phone vibrate next to him. 

_I had fun last night.  Here’s the address for tonight.  7pm._

Steve read the message several times.  What the fuck.  Was Billy bipolar?  First, he was flirty, then angry, then withdrawn, then normal and then he’d established the biggest _you’ve been friend zoned_ line Steve had ever seen and now he was texting him at precisely eight in the morning like all was well.  It was like he’d been waiting until a proper time before texting Steve and eight was Billy’s safe zone for early morning texting with _people you’re not dating_ apparently.  Like 7:59am would have sent the _I woke up thinking about you ;)_ message and we wouldn’t want Steve to get the wrong message—again.

Billy had changed so much but the one thing that hadn’t changed was that he drove Steve crazy.  Truth be told, Steve sorta drove himself crazy too.

He texted Billy back right away.  _Okay, see you there._

He debated on adding an emoji but Rachel told him he sent too many.  Dustin thought he didn’t send enough.  It was a toss-up.  Billy hadn’t used a single emoji yet so he put his phone aside and got ready for the day.

Steve texted Dustin back mid-morning.  _Not yet.  But I ran into Billy last night._

He waited then added another text.  _Hargrove._ Just in case Dustin didn’t know who he was talking about. 

He then texted Rachel.  _We met up last night.  I got friend zoned._

He added the crying emoji then deleted it.  You know what, fuck it.  He added it again and sent it. 

He was an emoji type of guy and Rachel would just have to deal with having an emoji type of dad.

Dustin replied right away.

_OMG! Really????_

_Billy-Billy?_

Steve rolled his eyes.  “Yes, dumbass. Billy, Billy,” he said out loud as he texted back those exact words.

The phone lit up with an incoming call from Dustin, who he had labeled in his contacts as _Don’t Answer Unless You’re Drunk or Dying_.

Steve answered.  “Yo.”

“Billy Hargrove!? You ran into Billy Hargrove!?  Steve!  Is he still mean? Did he punch you? What happened?  And why are you not telling me about Tinder, I want to hear all about it.”

Steve knew to just wait until Dustin finished talking before even gathering his thoughts.  It could be while. 

“Billy was…nice.  Not mean.  Tinder sucks.  I hate it, already deleted it.  And you should get your own damn life and stop vicariously living through mine,” Steve said, grinning.

“Whatever.  Your life is hardly awesome.  What with all the prestige and money you’re rolling around in, you’re practically boring.  None of that keeps you warm, just comfortable _and_ Debra and I just booked a vacation to Disney so you can suck on that.”

“World or land?” Steve asked.

“World, of course.  Who the fuck goes to Disneyland?”  Dustin scoffed.

Steve shrugged even though they weren’t video chatting. He hated video chatting with Dustin.  It was always the longest, drawn out process of _can you see me? My hair is a mess, wait, why I am seeing the ceiling? Steve!  Point the camera at yourself, goddammit._

“Are you taking the kids?” Steve asked absentmindedly.  Billy was still racing through his brain and he desperately wanted to talk to Dustin about it but wasn’t ready just yet.  Eventually, he’d tell him the truth.

Dustin really scoffed this time.  “No, Steve.  Debra and I decided to leave our kids at home while we go to Disney World like a couple of jacked up asshole parents and ride the teacups by ourselves and gorge on twenty dollar lollipops as big as our heads.  Of course we’re taking the kids, what the fuck?  Are you doing drugs in LA?  It’s like a mecca for drugs.  Don’t do drugs, Steve.”

He sighed.  God he loved Dustin so much.

“Right, sorry.  I was in the middle of a work email when you called, I’m just distracted.”

“Uh huh, sure.  So which one is it then?”

Steve paused.  “Which one is what?”

“Is it Tinder that was _so_ underwhelming you had to delete it in the first twenty-four hours of using it or was running into Billy that bad?”

“Both,” Steve said.  Because it was _both_.  Fuck Billy, fuck Tinder.  “But Billy I guess.  We’re meeting up tonight for drinks or something, I’m not sure how I feel about it. It wasn’t bad per se…”

He heard Dustin shuffling his phone around as he shifted it from one ear to another.  He still hadn’t started using the speaker phone or a headset yet.  What a noob.

“I thought Billy quit drinking,” Dustin said and Steve’s head tilted.

“How would you know that?”

“I’m friends with Max on Facebook.  You should get on there sometime, your profile is still the standard blank, faceless head you know, it’s weird.  You’re the _only_ friend I have on Facebook that doesn’t have a real picture.  It’s time,” Dustin said.

“I’ll put a picture up on Facebook when you start using speaker phone or get a fucking headset you fucking dweeb,” Steve said loudly. 

“Nobody says dweeb anymore.”

“Yeah, well, nobody talks directly into their phone anymore either.  Dweeb.”

Dustin sighed.  It was his happy sigh.  “For your information, lots of people still talk directly into their phones, but shit Steve, I miss you so much.  When are you coming home to visit?”

Steve smiled.  “Not sure, I’ll let you know, but hey, do you happen to know what Billy does for a living? I asked but…he didn’t really answer me.”

There was silence on the other side. 

“Dustin? Did you accidentally mute me again with your cheek, buddy?”

“No, no, I’m here.  I can ask Max if you want…about what Billy does,” Dustin said quickly.

“No, it’s fine, I don’t want to pry.  I’ll see if he volunteers the info himself.”

“Okay cool.”  There was shuffling on Dustin’s side again.  “Hey, I gotta go.  Some of us have to actually work for a paycheck. Text me and let me know how tonight goes with Billy, yeah?”

“Yeah, yeah, sure.”  Steve said and disconnected the call.  They never said goodbye on the phone, one of them just hung up.

Steve checked the time.  It was eleven, only eight more hours and he’d be in Billy’s presence again.  Fantastic.  Maybe he should work out real quick, or not.  Whatever.  It wasn’t like it mattered.  The best part about being in the friend zone was that he didn’t have to try so hard.  Or at all.

~*~

Billy didn’t know if he was making the right choice, but he had to do this.  He stepped into the bar and put on his best smile.  Not a real smile, because this was going to suck, but his best professional smile, because if anything, Billy had gotten his shit together over the years and his career was basically his primary relationship.  Not that he needed a relationship, or sex, he could get it if he wanted, he just hadn’t felt the need to anymore.  Those days were long gone. 

Even being on Tinder had been Max’s idea for him to see what was out there.  He’d been on the stupid app for three fucking days when Steve’s profile appeared.  He’d taken it a sign from the Universe at first, like a lifelong wish granted true.  But now, he was sure it was just revenge karma for all the bad shit he did before he hit rock bottom at thirty-one and turned over a new leaf.  He’d already deleted Tinder and Steve was the only guy he’d messaged.

He only wanted the real deal, he couldn’t settle for anything less, especially not with Steve. 

And so, Billy grabbed a standing table near the wall at the trendy bar he’d selected, lamenting the Blurred Lines song that was playing lowly in the background and waited for his night to implode.  God, he hated that fucking song.

Steve entered at 7:01.  Billy wasn’t obsessively checking the time on his phone or anything.  He greeted him with his practiced smile and a much quicker, looser hug with a pat on the back this time. Yesterday’s hug had nearly done him in.

God, he wanted Steve so bad.

“Hey pretty boy!” Billy put on the charm.  He couldn’t help himself. 

“Hi,” Steve said, joining him around the table and moving close enough to bump their arms together.

Great.  Just what he needed.  Steve’s fucking body heat.  And the ability to smell his soft and fruity shampoo. 

“This is a bar-bar,” Steve said, looking around.  “I thought it’d be more of a restaurant since you don’t drink.”

“They have a menu if you’re hungry.  I know you like to drink and uh, I hope you don’t mind, but someone is joining us.”

“Oh.” Steve’s face fell and Billy felt like the world’s biggest asshole.  Steve recovered quickly though and Billy had to give him credit, it was a good smile, it didn’t even come across as fake, but he remembered his expressions well enough (from high school _and_ the night before at dinner) to know it was plastered on to hide his confusion and possibly disappointment.  “Sure, of course that’s fine. The more the merrier, right?”

Billy put his hand over Steve’s on the table.  “Look, I know how hard it is in the beginning and Tinder is full of options but there’s a lot of douchebags out there so I thought I’d introduce you to my friend Kyle.  He’s hot and I mean the kind of hot that even straight, old guys would bang and he’s really nice and clean.  The best part for you is that he’s versatile and really patient so if you hit it off, you can explore your curiosity and find out what sort of things you like…in bed…with him.  I trust him, just, be aware he’s more into the casual, fun thing so don’t fall for him.”

Steve pulled his hand out from under Billy’s.  “Whoa, whoa, whoa, what?”

“Billy!” A voice rang out near them over the music.  Billy was relieved to see Kyle was on time.  He needed to get this over with and bow out gracefully.  Although, Steve looked more shell shocked than he had anticipated so maybe he’d stick around a bit longer than planned just to make sure he was okay.

Billy hugged Kyle in their typical hello then snaked his hand out to grab Steve’s wrist to pull him closer. Thankfully, Kyle immediately took over and introduced himself with his usual megawatt smile and beaming personality.  Steve seemed normal, but Billy waited until he visibly relaxed before pretending to study the bar menu to give them a chance to connect.

“Billy did warn me I’d have a hard on for you the moment I saw you and he did not disappoint.  Look at you! I can’t believe you’re on our team now.”  Kyle said to Steve, laying it a little thicker than Billy liked. 

Steve was still straight by all of Billy’s standards, he wasn’t ready for the gay parade and sequined boots just yet. 

“He’s not on our team yet, he’s just exploring our team.” Billy reminded him and shot him a look that said _chill on the drag queen accent_.

Kyle apparently got the message because he laughed and started over in his normal voice.  “Sorry Steve, I’m so used to talking with all the hens on the weekend that I forget to speak like myself sometimes.  So, Billy says you’re in town for a while and curious.”

Steve hadn’t spoken, just stood there staring at them with wide eyes like they were speaking a different language and he was about to be put on the spot to respond fluently when he couldn’t.  “Oh, um, yeah.  Curious.  I’m, you know, checking out the scene.”  Steve cleared his throat and glanced away.  “Hey, I have to use the restroom, I’ll be right back.  Can you order an appetizer or something for us Billy?  My treat tonight.”

“Sure,” Billy said, struggling with his own stupidity as Steve scrambled away.  Like, he literally scrambled. Fuck.  What a disaster.

Kyle turned to him.  “Well…that was interesting.”

“Shut up.  He’s great, he’s just nervous.”  Billy stared after Steve’s retreating back as he weaved through the crowded bar, heading deeper into the establishment.

“No, no, I don’t think you understand… _he’s_ fucking adorable with none of the usual drama and you’re offering him up to me?  _That’s_ what’s interesting.  Why?  It doesn’t add up.  Why aren’t _you_ breaking him in?”  Kyle asked.

Billy huffed and rounded on his friend. “Breaking him in?  What the fuck dude, he’s not a horse.  He’s important to me and I know you’ll be good to him during his…mid-life crisis or whatever the fuck this is.”

“Mmm-hmmm, okay.  You’re clearly crazy, _but_ as long as you’re sure that you _really_ want _me_ to be his foray into the wonderful world of gay sex and as long as he’s up for it then I’ll be happy to introduce him to every…little...dirty thing you can think of.”  Kyle batted his eyelashes and Billy nearly socked him for it.  “As long as you’re _sure_ , Billy.”

“Just…don’t hurt him, okay?  He’s sweet and sensitive and new to all of this,” Billy said, his stomach churning with each word.

When the cocktail waitress came by, Billy ordered an appetizer and a round of drinks.  He was sticking to water, but Kyle and Steve were both getting alcohol for their blind date.

“He’s been gone awhile, you should go look for him,” Kyle said, sipping at his drink.  Yeah, he’d been gone _that_ long that the waitress had already come back and delivered their mixed drinks. 

“Fuck,” Billy said then headed toward the back to the bathrooms.  When he got there, he found the men’s room empty.  No Steve.

Billy’s heart started to race.  Dear fucking god, he had pushed Steve so far that he had really bolted.  He felt like such a dickhead.  He braced his hands on the sink and stared at his reflection in the mirror before letting his head drop down between his shoulders.  He always fucked up when it came to Steve, like that time he’d beaten him up at the Byer’s house. He had liked Steve then, desperately wanted to be with Steve and instead, acted like an amped up meathead and nearly put the guy in the hospital because he couldn’t handle his emotions.

He couldn’t even look himself in the eye.  And now he had to wash his damn hands from touching the sink.  Awesome.

Billy headed back to the table and stopped short when he saw Steve standing there with Kyle, sipping his mixed drink out of a tiny red straw with what looked like a genuine smile on his face.  They were talking and it looked like they were getting along.

Billy held back for a minute and just watched them.  His heart hurt.  This was the dumbest idea he’d ever had, but he couldn’t handle a one-night stand with Steve and then be thanked for fulfilling his curiosity then told it’s all ladies again from here on out, thank you very much.

And Steve deserved better than someone like Billy standing outside his window with a boom box over his head declaring his love because let’s face it, ever since he’d seen _Say Anything_ , thank you John Cusack, the only person he’d ever been that hopelessly torn up about that deserved the iconic boom box treatment was Steve fucking Harrington.  But Steve could do better than Billy.

When he finally resumed his spot at the table, Kyle whipped his phone out. 

“Oh fuck, hey, I gotta go,” Kyle said, reading whatever was on his screen.  “It’s an emergency, my little sister’s car broke down on the 101 and she needs a lift.”

“Is she okay? It’s rush hour,” Billy said, alarmed that he was about to be left alone with Steve but also secretly delighted, not for Kyle’s little sister, fuck, Billy was such a selfish prick for feeling relief directly because of her problem but Kyle wasn’t right for Steve, that much was obvious now that he’d put them next to each other and seen the mismatch.

Kyle groaned and pushed his drink away.  “She’s fine and thanks for the reminder.  Well, I’ll be gone forever.  Don’t wait on me boys, I won’t be back.  She lives in Pasadena so by the time I get her car towed and get her home… it’ll be Sunday.”

“You mean Saturday? It’s only Friday,” Steve said.

Billy and Kyle shared a look, the _you don’t know LA traffic_ look. 

“He means Sunday,” Billy said, but it really was just a joke.

“Okay, I’m out, you two have fun.  Steve, text me and we’ll do lunch,” Kyle said, giving Billy a quick kiss on the cheek before leaning over to kiss both of Steve’s cheeks.  He dropped a ten on the table for his drink then grabbed Billy’s water, slamming half of it before setting it down with a thunk.  “Just making sure what little alcohol I actually got to drink gets watered down.  Gotta drive you know.”

Kyle’s mixed drink was almost totally full so Billy side eyed him like he was just a water thieving gangster and shook his head.  “Tell your sister hello.”

“Will do, later boys,” Kyle said, walking away with a flash of his hand over his shoulder.

Billy felt weak.  He was alone with Steve, this was _not_ the plan. 

Steve sipped through that red straw again, casually holding his glass up by his face.  “He seems…fun.”

“Okay so, maybe he’s not the right guy for you,” Billy admitted.  “Sorry, I don’t know what I was thinking, he’s too—”

“Gay?”  Steve supplied, his tongue deviously darting out to wrangle the straw back into his mouth. 

Dear god, his pink lips and his tongue.  Billy shifted closer to the table to make sure no one could see anything below his waist.  It did not escape him that this was the first time in years he had gotten a semi in his pants over something normal and basic like a guy drinking out of a straw.

But it wasn’t just any guy, was it?  It was Steve Harrington.  And he wasn’t just drinking out of a straw, he was going to town on it.

“Yeah.  I guess I didn’t realize he was so outwardly gay until I saw him next to you.  He’s a really great guy though, but you probably need someone more low key, someone that comes across more straight maybe,” Billy said.

Steve put his glass down on the square napkin.  “You don’t come across as outwardly gay.  In fact, that girl in class was hitting on you so that tells me you’re pretty low key.”

“I don’t hide it,” Billy said, sensing where Steve was going with this and looking for the fastest kill switch.  They could not hook up, no matter how much either of them might want to.

“But you don’t flaunt it either.  You’re low key.”

Billy offered him a tight smile then leaned a bit on the table, pushing his decimated water aside.  “Where’d you disappear to earlier? I checked the bathroom when you didn’t come back.”

“Oh! Sorry about that.  Yeah, I went there first and when I was on my way back, my daughter called so I stepped outside to answer,” Steve said, grinning sheepishly.

Billy felt a wave of relief and a bit dramatic for thinking Steve would just up and leave.  They weren’t teenagers anymore, why would he think Steve would bail without saying goodbye?

 _Because you’re still fucked up over Steve and everything you do comes across as the opposite of what you want when it comes to him, that’s why asshole_ , crossed his mind. 

“Is she okay?” Billy asked. 

Steve nodded and licked his lips—several times.  What the fuck.  Was that on purpose? Or was the drink so sweet it warranted such obscene behavior?

“She’s fine.  She’s just wanted to check on me since it was her idea for me to join Tinder.  She thinks I’m on a date tonight.  I didn’t have the heart to tell her I’m just out with you,” Steve said.

Billy straightened up, offended.  “So you’re hiding me?”

Steve looked at him funny.  “No, I told her about you yesterday.  She just assumed I’m on a date tonight, I didn’t correct her.  She’s my little girl, she doesn’t need to know everything I do or how lame my life really is.”

And there it was, the real issue.  Steve wasn’t out.  Not even close, might not even be gay or bi or whatever, just curious while Billy was all in.  He could not let his guard down, this wasn’t a game for him, and Steve had the potential of sashaying into his life and decimating his heart as easily as Kyle had ganked his water and left it half empty.  Only, he feared his heart wouldn’t fare as well as the ice water. 

“I’m sure she knows how lame you are,” Billy snapped, regretting his tone.  He never snapped at people anymore.  Like never. 

It didn’t phase Steve though, the noob actually grinned.  “Ah there you are, I was wondering when you’d show your true colors.  Good ole Billy Hargrove is finally in the house.”

Billy pushed off the table and shifted his weight a few times as if he didn’t know which direction he wanted to go in.  “Just…shut it, Harrington.  You roll up into my hood after twenty-five years and insult me when I’m trying to get you laid? Don’t be a dick.”

Steve was sipping through that goddamn straw again in a way that should require an NC-17 rating and Billy wanted to knock it out of his hand and launch himself into that mouth.

Steve licked his lips and sniffed, leaning closer.  “Listen, _friend_ , I like seeing you all jacked up like this, it reminds me of high school when you’d flail around in desperate need for my attention.  You had it, you know, my attention.”

Billy froze.  Wait, high school?  Really? 

“Well, well, apparently I’m not the only one that hasn’t changed.  You’re still the same sweet Steve on the outside but a total dickhead on the inside,” Billy said, having no idea where the words he was speaking were coming from.  He meant none of them.  But feeling riled up around Steve was familiar and hot and something was charging up between them (like in high school) and he wanted to see where it’d go, consequences be damned.

Steve shrugged and tongued the fucking straw again then hollowed his cheeks as he sucked the rest of his drink up.  Billy was going to need to jack off the rest of the weekend.

And then Steve’s façade broke and he grinned.  “I’m just fucking with you, relax,” Steve said, giggling. 

Giggling! Steve Harrington was fucking giggling.  It melted all of Billy’s insides, even his fear and anger couldn’t remain in the face of that delightful sound.  He was so hopeless over this guy.

But, back to that _attention_ thing. 

“I didn’t flail,” Billy said, his tone settling back to normal.

“Oh, no, no, no, no, you _totally_ flailed. Like a lot.”  Steve’s eyes were fucking twinkling.  “And it was really, really cute.  Truth be told, I actually liked it.  Like…a lot.” 

“Are you flirting with me?” Billy asked.  Please say yes.  Forget about that whole Kyle thing, please. 

Steve looked away, suddenly somber.  “I would never do that, wouldn’t want to send you mixed signals after you clearly friend zoned me.”

“When did I friend zone you?” Billy asked, but the shocked look on Steve’s face as he offered a ridiculous handshake last night appeared in his mind.  Oh, right, that.

“Let’s see…oh, there was the handshake.  That was pretty clear.  But then when you tried to pimp me out to another guy fifteen minutes ago, that was kinda the nail in the coffin.  Or the nail in my ass, right? It’s kinda odd how you think I’m just going to run off with some random guy you throw at me and immediately bend over for him.”

“Okay first…sounds like you’re a top, noted.  Second, what did you expect, that’d we go to dinner once after not seeing each other for almost three decades and then what, hook up?  We were enemies in high school so we don’t exactly have the foundation for romance and have you even touched another guy like that before?  You’re not ready for it.”

Steve pulled a face, clearly ruffled.  “I’m forty-fucking-seven.  I am ready for it, that was the fucking point of going on gay Tinder at this age.”

“It’s just Tinder, _Steve_ , no one calls it _gay_ Tinder.  And you’re not ready for me, okay?”

There, Billy finally said it.  The truth.

Steve’s mouth snapped shut as they stared each other down.  It was still sorta hot, even if Steve did look like he was going to throw the ice from his drained mixed drink all over Billy’s head.

“Oh, I get it.  You don’t want someone who is inexperienced,” Steve said, jabbing the straw at the ice cubes.

“What? No, Steve, that’s not what I meant,” Billy said, fishing for the right words, but he just couldn’t find them.  He settled on something close, but not quite.  “I…I’m not ready for you.”

“What does that even mean?” Steve had softened, his voice soothing now, Billy wanted to lean into it and never leave.  But this was a disaster, more so than watching Kyle flirt with Steve, which nearly gutted him even though he was the moron who brought them together.

“Here’s your appetizer,” the server said, breaking their moment with a plate of mini food.  “I’ll bring you more drinks, a refill on the water and…did you want the same drink?”

“No, just a water for me too this time,” Steve said, his usual friendly self with the server. 

Billy forced a fake smile at the girl and balled up his wet cocktail napkin in his fist.  It felt so gross.  Why had he done that?  He released it and wiped his hand on the thigh of his jeans.  Just being around Steve made him a basket case.

Steve really leaned into him when she left.  “But if you _were_ ready…what then?”

Billy leaned his shoulders away but didn’t move his lower body.  “I’d probably ruin you, is what.”

“Like…ruin my life because you’d be such a dick that I’d wish we’d never reconnected or ruin my body because you’re _that_ good in bed?”  The husk in Steve’s voice sent a shock wave down Billy’s spine.

Billy groaned.  “Stop.  Steve, seriously, I can’t.  I would…I would…”

“You’d what?” Steve kept pressing into his space, not enough to warrant bystanders to interfere, but enough to imply they were about to be heckled to _get a room!_

“I’d definitely ruin you in bed, but you’d ruin my life.  I can’t do casual, Steve.  I…can’t do casual with _you_.”

Steve stepped back.  “But…you _do_ want me?”

Billy stared at him.  Was Steve an idiot? Yes, he wanted him!  Wasn’t that obvious? “Yes, okay.  I do, but—”

“No, no buts,” Steve interrupted him.  “That’s all I wanted to know.”

The entire night had snaked out of Billy’s well-planned control in a measly thirty minutes.  So much for having a game plan on how to avoid all of this and hide in his well burrowed hole when it came to his real feelings for Steve.

Billy’s plan had been to dip out and leave Steve and Kyle alone at 7:30pm, on the dot, no matter what, then sulk his way home and watch a few episodes of that new show Orange is the New Black on Netflix while eating a vegan pizza delivered from West Hollywood and holding back all of his emotions about how Kyle would probably get to lick his way down Steve’s body that night.  _That_ was supposed to be his big Friday night, _not_ emotionally freaking out at a hipster bar where Steve had pinned him down with a look of determination and lust and demanded that he admit all his deep dark feelings about the guy.

Instead, he was admitting that _yes, I want to bang you so bad, but only if we’re in a real relationship because I’ve pined over you for years and can’t handle being your fuck buddy_ while Steve grazed over his appetizer like a fucking boss.  What the fuck!? 

Steve plucked one of the poppers off the plate and stuck it in his mouth.  “Mmmm, this is good,” he said while chewing.  “Can you eat it? Is it vegan?” He asked after he swallowed, already reaching for another one.

Billy stared at him.  How was Steve so fucking calm all the sudden?  They had just about jumped each other (in the hot sexual way, not the let’s brawl type of way) in a room full of people and Steve was all into the fucking poppers now like none of that had happened?

“It’s not vegan,” Billy said.  “None of the food here is.”

“Hmmm, so you picked a place where you can’t eat anything? Weird,” Steve said, eating another one. 

“It’s not weird. I picked it for you and Kyle.”

Steve licked over the back of his teeth then sighed.  “Kyle told me you were going to leave after introducing us so I sent him away.”

“What!” Billy’s eyes widened.  Kyle was such a fucking traitor.

“Yeah, game’s up Hargrove, I’m onto you,” Steve said. “Not exactly sure what your deal is but I have a pretty good idea. You wanna hear it?”

“No.”  Billy felt really nervous for some reason but goddamn if this wasn’t the most interesting turn of events.  “Fine, yes.”

Steve smirked.  “You know how there’s this electricity between two people and they both feel it?  Well, I felt it yesterday in yoga _and_ I felt it between us in high school so… when you up and friend zoned me last night, it really made me think I was crazy, that I’d misread all of it but then, hear me out,” Steve said, because Billy had opened his mouth interrupt.  But he shut it, because assertive Steve was beyond hot.  “I even believed I’d read it all wrong until I got here tonight and Kyle showed up, which was clearly your attempt to friend zone me even further but then…I saw something in your eyes when he was flirting with me.”

“Yeah, and what was that?” Billy asked, enthralled as Steve revealed _who killed the butler, in the study with the candlestick_ like this was fucking Clue or some murder mystery shit.  How in the fuck did Harrington _know_ all of this?

“Jealousy.  And that you want me.”

“Yeah, and?  That doesn’t mean we should do anything about it.” Billy couldn’t believe himself at this point.  Why was he fighting this so hard?  And how the fuck was Steve so perceptive?

“Uh, yeah, I kinda think it does mean that actually.  That’s like entire the point of two people wanting each other.  We’re not hurting anyone, we’re both single so what’s your deal? Why can’t we just try?”

“We can’t.”

“But why not?”

“Steve, I just…”

“I haven’t heard an actual reason yet so are you just being difficult or…”

“I’m not being difficult. We just can’t!”

“But why?”

“Fuck,” Billy groaned and shook his head in defeat.  “Fine, oh my god just shut up, we can fucking try.”

The smile that spread across Steve’s face nearly did him in.  “Really?”

“Yes, really.  Don’t make me change my fucking mind already, you fucking happy go lucky dumbass.”

“Awww, see, you’re still the Billy we all know and love to hate.” Steve reached his arm across the back of his shoulders and side hugged him. 

Billy rolled his eyes.  “What the fuck did you say to Kyle to make him to leave? Did his sister’s car really breakdown on the side of the road or was that made up?”

Steve batted his eyes.  “His sister is in Maui on vacation with her boyfriend.  So, no, no breakdown on the 101.  That was all his idea though, I don’t even know where Pasadena is.”

“But what did _you_ say to get him to go along with it and leave?” Billy asked, still being side-squeezed by Steve’s stronger-than-it-appeared arm.  He must lift weights.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Steve waggled his eyebrows at him as his arm dropped and he returned to the plate of poppers. 

“Just…eat your fucking poppers, Sunshine.”

Steve smiled.  “Oh, I will.  And then let’s go somewhere where you can actually eat and have dinner, like a real date where I pay and then we see where things go afterwards like normal people, who are on a date.”

“Why do you get to pay?” Billy bristled again.  He wasn’t broke.  He had money, like a lot of money.  What the fuck.

“Because, I want to take you out and spoil you,” Steve said with his typical _why are you saying crazy things to me_ look.

“Spoil me?  Steve, no.  I’m not a child.  Or a girl.  In fact, if you had any clue what I do for a living you’d let me spoil you.”

“I love it, our first relationship argument is over who gets to spend all his money on spoiling the other one,” Steve said.

“We’re not in a relationship _yet_ and this isn’t an argument.  And I totally make more money than you do,” Billy said, pursing his lips like he’d just dropped the damn mic.

“You don’t know that,” Steve said, casually sliding another popper into his mouth.  He was way better at staying calm during their conversations than Billy was.  Always had been.  “Until we’ve shared our financial portfolios and net worth, I think it’s safe to say you just _hope_ you make more money than I do.”

“Whatever, it doesn’t matter.  Obviously, we both make enough.  Just don’t treat me because you think I can’t treat you.  I can and I will.  If you’ll fucking let me,” Billy said.  Their conversation was so ridiculous but yet, it mimicked that competitive charge between them in high school that constantly had Billy moaning Steve’s name in the shower every day for nearly two years.

“You’re so thickheaded sometimes, it’s astonishing.  Billy, I _know_ you can pay for dinner, but it’s the _only_ thing I can do for you right now since I’m kinda lost about everything else, especially about if the 101 even goes through Pasadena or not. I can’t even pick a good place for us to eat because I’m not from here and I think Yelp is probably fake so why don’t you let me do something I’m already good at, paying, so I don’t feel like a total noob while you take the lead with the other stuff, which you’re really good at, like, you know, picking restaurants and knowing which roads to avoid at which times and all that fun stuff you tried to get Kyle to do with me but I really only want to do with you,” Steve said and Billy did see the logic in that.

He definitely didn’t want Steve to feel emasculated and being from out of town and new to the whole gay thing, he could see it getting really unbalanced really fast if Billy took the lead with everything.  But damn, if Steve trained executives with this sort of calm, iron clad logic then he was probably really good at his job.  _I have a big picture plan and this is what it is_ Steve was really fucking hot.  And he _loved_ that Steve said noob.  That was one of his favorite words these days.

“Fine, fine.  I get it.” Billy sighed. “Yes, Steve, you can take me to dinner tonight and even pay.  Thank you.”

Steve grinned around another mouthful of the last popper.  “Awesome.”

Shaking his head a little at the absurdity of it all, Billy flagged down the server to get their check to let Steve pay, because apparently, that was a thing now.  Because they were dating.  Or _trying_.  Or whatever the fuck had just happened that totally blindsided him and left him wondering if Steve’s lips would look as good as he thought wrapped around his dick instead of that slutty little straw.

Billy grumbled to himself as Steve paid.  He was so fucked. 

Or really, Steve was so fucked, because he’d been right.  Billy was really good at the other stuff.  The fun stuff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a bit of a faster burn that I planned, but Billy just couldn't say no. He was supposed to say no. Steve wore him down. Because Steve is a boss. XD 
> 
> The convo with Dustin was so much fun to write and he'll be back as well in later chapters.


	4. Bickering & Bantering

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a shorter chapter to capture this moment between them.

Steve sat on Billy’s sofa after dinner, waiting for whatever came next.  Mostly he was waiting for Billy to come back into the living room, but he was hoping for something a little more like making out rather than watching Orange is the New Black.  He hadn’t seen the first episode like Billy had and honestly, could care less, but Billy had rambled on and on about it at dinner, way past its expiration point for good conversation.

Billy’s house was nice.  Like, really, really nice.  Steve knew real estate in LA was outrageous to begin with and this wasn’t a Beverly Hills mansion by any means, but it was a lovely three-bedroom ranch in a great neighborhood with a heated pool and hot tub so he was guessing it was over a million five.  And Billy owned it. 

Steve could afford it, easily.  He’d made a ton of money in stock options with his company.  He could retire tomorrow if he wanted and never work again and still live the high life, but he liked to keep busy and didn’t see the point in floating about like a lone preppy vagabond. 

People and relationships are what really mattered in life.  That’s what Steve had realized all those years ago in Hawkins when Nancy nearly collapsed under the weight of guilt over Barb and the kids had banded together to save the world.  Her and Jonathon were actually married.  Still.  It was cute and perfect and Steve had gone to their wedding too, of course, with Heather. 

He got glossy pictures of their two kids and three rescue dogs every Christmas in the mail and made sure to always call Nancy every few years in the fall to chat about Barb and get updates on everyone.

Billy returned, his feet bare and he’d switched shirts to a white v-neck instead of the button up he’d had on earlier. 

“So, you wanna watch TV or…” Billy said, reaching for the remote as he moved about the room, straightening throw pillows and moving a random paperweight.

“Well, I already know how to watch TV and I’m really good at it but, maybe let’s sit…and you know…not watch TV,” Steve said.  Goddammit, this was Billy’s _one_ fucking job in the relationship, to take the sexual lead and instead he was the poster boy for a Netflix show and staging the house like a real estate agent.

Billy sat down, across the room. 

Steve laughed.  “I meant let’s sit _together_. Over here. Next to me.”

Billy propped his elbows up on his knees and planted his face in his hands.  “Steve…” he whined.

Whiny Billy was hot.  Like really hot.

“Why are you nervous? I should be the one that’s nervous?” Steve said softly. He knew human beings made no sense sometimes and he needed to be patient with whatever the fuck Billy was fighting within himself, but he also really wanted to kiss him so…he’d better get his butt across the room otherwise he was going to end up with Steve knocking his arms out of the way and crawling into his lap.

“I’m not nervous, dumbass.”  Billy looked up at him with a glare.  “I’m worried.”

“That’s kind of the same thing, but okay.  Why are you worried?  We’re here, we like each other, I think, I mean you are hard to read at times and send more mixed signals than a bat whose radar is on the fritz but you said we could try, right?  So, let’s…try.”

“Try what, Steve? Sex? You want to go from zero to anal sex tonight, is that it? Because that’s a bad idea,” Billy said, standing up and moving toward him.  At least he was getting closer.

Steve did flinch a little at the idea of Billy being inside of him, not that he didn’t want that, he did, just maybe they’d ease into that over time.

“I was thinking a little more first base, second base stuff anyway.  What I really want is for you to kiss me.  I’ve wanted that for a really long time and you can put me out of my misery of wondering, right now, or you can fluff your pillows again.  They do look a little flat.”

“It’s clear why we never got together in high school,” Billy said, sitting next to him.  Their knees bumped together.

“Because you’re secretly more interested in interior design than making out with me or…”

Billy huffed a little laugh.  “Well, yeah, that but also because we never stop fucking bickering long enough to actually do anything.”

“It’s not bickering,” Steve said, raising his hand and gently rubbing his thumb across Billy’s temple and into his hair.  “It’s banter.  It’s how we feel the electricity between us.  You feel it, don’t you?”

“Yes,” Billy’s voice cracked and his eyes closed as he leaned into Steve’s hand.  “I’m supposed to lead.”

“Then lead,” Steve whispered as their lips grew closer.

“Then let me.” Their eyes met and Steve saw the longing in Billy’s gaze, the longing to be seen and understood so he let his hand fall away, let there be space for Billy to take action.

Slowly, like a magnet, their lips drifted together in the sweetest, most perfect first kiss. 

Steve was sure he sighed or huffed or breathed through his nose.  Somehow, he heard his own satisfied sigh and felt Billy smile against his lips, briefly, before slotting their mouths together more deeply.  The world could have burned down around them and Steve wouldn’t have noticed.  There was nothing but him and Billy and their romantic first kiss.  Romantic, yes, very romantic.  The kiss of dreams.  Steve recognized the sappy thoughts barreling through his mind, right next to thoughts like _I taste something minty_ and _he’s gentle, holy fuck, I might be in love, too soon, too soon, reel it in_ and _thank god for Tinder._

“You’re such an asshole,” Steve said, grinning as they pressed their foreheads together.  “You went and brushed your teeth, didn’t you?”

The corners of Billy’s lips quirked up.  “Not my fault you didn’t think to bring a toothbrush on a date.”

“It wasn’t a date, remember.  It was friend zoned dinner…”

Their lips met again in a soft kiss.

"…then a surprise blind date…”

Another soft kiss, God Billy’s lips were perfect against Steve’s.

“…then a come to Jesus moment about how you really feel…”

“Stop. Talking,” Billy said, deepening the kiss with his tongue this time and thus effectively shutting him up.

Steve smiled into the kiss and for a few minutes, that’s what they did.  Really gentle, super emotional kissing with none of the heated, sexual charge.  Steve was fine with that.  This was perfect.

Billy pulled back and they locked eyes.  “Steve…I can’t do casual with you.”

“I know, you said that already,” Steve said leaning forward to grab Billy’s mouth with his own again, but Billy turned his face slightly, effectively cutting off the advance.  “Hey, it’s okay, I’m not going anywhere, you can talk to me.”

“I’m worried…” Billy said, his voice barely audible.  “That you’ll…realize you’re really just straight.”

Steve sat up a bit and grabbed both of Billy’s hands between his own.  “Hey, hey, look at me.  Billy, I’m not straight, okay.  I’ve never been straight.  I’m guessing I’m bi, but do you know what happened when I went to my ex-wife’s wedding?”

Billy’s eyes searched his as he spoke, it was really grounding. “No, what?”

“She asked me if I knew I was gay.  And she didn’t mean it in a bad way, she just…knew.  I laughed it off, because I wasn’t ready to admit it to anyone, but, I’ve always been…shit, I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but… I was in love with Nancy in high school so I’m probably not a hundred percent gay.  But I wasn’t in love with Heather like that.  I loved her, but…not like that.  I’ve only ever felt that way about Nancy and…and you.”

“You’re in love with me?” Billy said, eyes wide with confusion.

“No, god, no that’s not what I mean.  I don’t mean it like _no way_ like _oh my god I’d never be in love with YOU!_ Shit, I’m making it worse.  I mean, have you ever just _known_ that the way you felt about someone was special even before you fell in love with them, fuck, even before you got to know them maybe?”

“Yes,” Billy said and Steve felt a little jealous about his answer, truth be told.

“Okay, well, that’s what I mean.  It’s a specialness type of thing.  Nancy was special to me.  But so were you.  Billy, you’re _the_ guy that made realize I am attracted to guys.  Fuck, I may not even be that attracted to guys now that I think about it, I was attracted to you.”

“So you’re not attracted to guys then?” Billy sounded alarmed.

“No, yes, I am.  Shit.  Billy, I’ve been attracted to _you_ and I’ve liked _you_ since we were in high school.  I’m not going to wake up tomorrow and be over it just because we got to third base.”

“You said second base,” Billy said, biting back a grin.

“Fuck you, we’re totally getting to third base and you really suck at leading by the way.  I’m doing all the work.  You’re going to be trouble in bed, I know it.  You’re a power bottom, aren’t you?”

Billy lowered his lashes and tilted his eyes up and Steve nearly came in his pants.  “I’m not a power bottom and it’s a little freaky that you even know what that term means.”

“Then are you a top or…I mean, I don’t care, either way is fine with me.  I think.”

Billy shook his head.  “You think you’re fine with either way, really? Okay slow down, we don’t have to figure that out tonight. It can be a lot and I don’t have any condoms anyway so let’s just take it slow and get to second, maybe third if we’re lucky.”

“How do you not have condoms?” Steve asked.

“The ones I used to have expired so I tossed them,” Billy said like it was obvious.

“Expired, Jesus, when was the last time you had sex?” Steve asked.

“Really? You think I’m a slut just because I’m gay?  Christ, you’re full of stereotypes tonight.  When was the last time _you_ had sex Mr. _I’ve-Been-Single-For-Twelve-Fucking-Years_? Let’s see your magical supply of condoms.”

“Touché.  And you’re right, I don’t have any, but that’s because I almost didn’t even take a shower today much less stop by CVS for sex supplies because I was still reeling from being shoved into the friend zone hole by your awesome handshake last night.”  Steve paused.  “Look, it’s been a long time for me, but I just assumed that you were more…I don’t know, active or something, not because I think you’re a slut, I don’t think that, but, I mean, have you actually looked at yourself recently? You’re a walking wet dream, like, how do you keep people off of you?  I nearly tackled you to the floor and ripped your shorts off at the yoga studio.  I was ready to become a power bottom right there in front of the entire class, even that prissy girl who made fun of me because I thought it was hot yoga just because I was sweating.”

Billy burst out laughing.  His head tilted back and his shoulders shook.  “Jesus, you are…you’re amazing, you know that?”

“Yes, I do know that, now come on Mr. Sex-On-Legs, you’re probably crazy flexible and I kinda want to find out so relax.  I _like_ you.  _You_ are not a curiosity for me.  Men were the curiosity, but you…I’ve wanted _you_ for a really long time.”

“So you’re not going to get the best blowjob of your life tonight and then wake up tomorrow morning to scroll through straight Tinder?”

“First of all, it’s just Tinder, _Billy,_ nobody calls it _straight_ Tinder,” Steve mocked.  “And second of all…I deleted it after you sent me your phone number.  Why would I need to keep looking when I found you?”

“Aw shit, we’re like…really going to date, aren’t we?” Billy asked.  “With feelings and everything.”

Steve pushed his shoulder gently.  “I don’t do casual either, dumb fuck.  Yes, with feelings and everything.  If I just wanted a blowjob, I would have gone home with Kyle.  He is pretty hot, you were _not_ lying about that.”

Billy’s eyes flared to life with that fire Steve loved so much about him.  “He’s dead to me.  Fucker.”

Steve leaned forward and nuzzled Billy’s chin with his cheek.  “Oh my god, you were so right.”

“About what?” Billy asked, humming softly at the affection.

“We talk _way_ too much to do anything.  We literally kissed for like a minute then went right back to bickering.”

“Bantering,” Billy said and leaned in to capture his lips for a brief kiss.  “And you were right, it is how we build up the electricity between us because I’m ready to move this into my bedroom—”

“Aaaaaaand you’re _still_ talking!” Steve laughed.  “We may never need condoms at this rate.”

“Oh, we’ll need them,” Billy said as he stood up and took one of Steve’s hands in his.  “But first, let me introduce you to my bedroom.  I hope you’ll become good friends.”

“I kinda want to watch Orange is the New Black now,” Steve said and ducked when Billy playfully reached out to smack him upside the head.

“Fuck. That.  Get your ass into my bedroom right now.”

“Yes sir!” Steve said, pulling Billy into his body for another kiss.  “Lead the way.”

“I will, if you’ll let me.”

Steve groaned.  It was clearly going to be a long night.  Of bantering. 

And hopefully third base.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unless LA falls off into the ocean, the rating will probably go up in the next chapter :)


End file.
